Neither
by Puckk
Summary: Mohinder likes Peter. Peter likes Mohinder. Simple? Never. Humorous? Always. [PeterMohinder Slash]


**Neither**

**--**

There is love.

And then there's _love._

This? This is neither.

Peter likes Mohinder. Mohinder _likes _Peter. Therefore, it works just enough to be somewhat long-lasting, to survive some of the scuffles, to thrive with happiness instead of wilting under jealousy.

Or at least, that's how it starts.

But we all know things never start the way they finish.

And vice versa.

X

When Peter disappears one time, longer than usual (with usual being an arbitrary number that Mohinder decides usually falls between 63 hours and five days) Mohinder worries a little but not a lot. After all, he likes Peter a little more than a lot, but not quite enough to send out the search parties and the heat-seeking bees.

What? So he's been working on designing heat-seeking bees in his spare time. Not like he has a whole lot of spare time, anyway. What with his successful taxi-driving business and his fabulous scientific skills that are on demand _everywhere_.

Anyway.

Peter disappears and it sucks. Quite a bit. Mohinder has to make his own food (which he often avoids completely), has to remember to go to bed before two in the morning (doesn't happen), and has the uncomfortable feeling of knowing he's spending far too much time looking in the mirror (it's far less guilt-inducing to be the lesser of two vain people).

He worries- it's impossible for him not to. There are people out there that could... well, not really do anything worse than what Peter could do back. Still, there's something about Peter that makes him worry about his virtue and his pretty hair and his pretty face.

And there's Nathan. There's something suspicious going on in that family and Mohinder doesn't like it one bit.

Well, maybe he likes it a _little _bit, not that he'd admit it.

So Mohinder decides, on three hours of sleep and two meals in the past three days, to go looking for Peter. Surely he can find his... Peter, he can find Peter, and bring him back safe and sound.

The problem is where to start.

But, of course, on three hours of sleep and two meals in two days, there are never any problems because one doesn't think enough to really decipher between true problems and tiny little inconsequential dilemmas.

Mohinder starts in his apartment and gradually moves outwards from there. By noon, he's combed the corridors of his building and knocked on many doors (and received many strange stares, and one banana chocolate chip muffin!) No Peter though, and as he munches on the muffin he heads outside, fearless as only the truly insane (and sleep-deprived) can be.

Mohinder doesn't know a lot about Peter. Sure, he knows some stuff, like what to do to make Peter giggle (fingers or a tongue right behind the knees, though you have to be careful about his flailing- physical and mental) and how long Peter needs to get up in the morning (about twenty minutes just to get half of his body out of bed).

But those things that are really necessary to _find _someone, in a city no less, Mohinder simply doesn't know. They didn't talk about it, there was no need. People in _like _don't need to know those important facts. People in _like _are easy about those facts, they don't press- there's no need for serious arguments or considerations.

For the first time, as he crosses the street amidst loud crashes of sound and angry voices, Mohinder wishes he'd taken the time to ask. Kind of wishes that he knew those things, if simply because he wants to be able to tell people that he _knows _Peter. He wants to know that Peter _knows _him and is proud of it.

It'd be... nice.

But that is neither here nor there, and Mohinder puts it to the back of his mind as he pauses outside a local café and frowns in concentration... very obvious concentration- the kind that has people casting him odd glances and sends a couple bright haired children into peels of high-pitched laughter.

Then, because he's a scientist, he makes a careful analysis using the standard scientific method.

And then, because he's slightly crazy (slightly?) and _very _tired, he thinks _screw it all _and crosses the street again, back to his apartment, and collapses on the bed.

Thus, the search concludes with no sign of the missing Peter.

Except that Peter isn't missing at all, Mohinder discovers, because Peter is standing in the doorway of his room and watching Mohinder with a look that can't quite be described. Something carefully balanced between perplexed, annoyed, amused, and utterly baffled.

It's a little funny, so Mohinder laughs. And continues laughing, helplessly, curling in on himself as he shakes.

And because it isn't _that _funny, Peter frowns and sits on the bed beside him, placing a hand to his forehead.

"Have you even slept at all? Eaten more than two meals since I've been gone?"

This stops Mohinder dead because Peter _knows_ him. Peter knows him and Mohinder doesn't even know Peter enough to know that he likes to visit Claire every now and again to make sure she's doing all right (wherever she is, Mohinder doesn't even know that).

"I'm sorry."

The scale of emotions painted on Peter's face shift heavily from an almost equal balance over to complete perplexity and a new emotion is added; concern. This makes Mohinder feel even worse.

"I am. I really lo... like you." He hesitates. Mohinder has never had tact for time, or for tact, and those two attributes duke it out as he thinks very loudly.

Very loudly.

"Mohinder, I..."He hesitates as well. Even knowing someone else's thoughts doesn't make it any easier to say those difficult words- so he doesn't say them. It's too early for that anyway. "Don't worry- we have plenty of time to figure each other out. And if it makes you feel any better, I only know about your eating because of the amount of dishes that are in the sink- because we _both_ know you never do them. And as for sleep? You never sleep well without me."

He smirks.

It's returned.

"Well then, that's a characteristic we share, isn't it?"

"It is. Now, it's time for both of us to sleep. We can... catch up later."

Mohinder nods.

And that, as they say, is that.


End file.
